Messi's two assists secure Inter Miami 2-2 tie vs. NYCFC in dramatic MLS season opener

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald on Feb 22, 2025

Published in Soccer

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi, wearing a longer haircut and Inter Miami’s new pink striped jersey, looked like the same old Messi as the 2025 MLS season got underway Saturday night, battling for 105 minutes and playing a major role in both Miami goals in a 2-2 tie against NYCFC.

The second came at the 100-minute mark, when some fans had already headed to the exits. Miami, which had been down a man since Tomas Aviles’ 23rd-minute ejection, was on the verge of losing the game when Messi came to the rescue, sending a beautiful through ball to newly-signed Venezuelan Telasco Segovia, who chipped the ball in for the equalizer.

Inter Miami, which went undefeated through five preseason games and won its Concacaf Champions Cup opener three days earlier, salvaged a tie in its MLS opener.

Messi, the Argentine icon, wasted no time making an impact, delivering an assist for Aviles’ goal after a nice feed from Jordi Alba five minutes into the game and delighting the near-sellout crowd at Chase Stadium. Messi’s perfect pass through a tight space came 72 hours after he scored the lone goal in a Champions Cup win at Sporting KC in frigid weather conditions.

It was a balmy 68 degrees in South Florida Saturday, and things got more heated in a hurry as Aviles was ejected, leading to an NYCFC equalizer by Mitja Ilenic. Aviles was slapped with a red card after a tackle in the penalty area and a shirt tug that was deemed a denial of a scoring chance for New York.

Ilenic scored on a free kick on a perfectly placed crossing shot, silencing the crowd as jubilant NYCFC players celebrated. The game remained tied at halftime, but New York took a 2-1 lead 10 minutes into the second half. Alba committed a rare blunder, sending a poor pass into the path of Alonso Martinez, who right footed it to the bottom left corner.

As if that weren’t bad news for Miami fans, winger Fafa Picault went down untouched with what looked like a serious injury early in the game and Marcelo Weigandt also hobbled off at halftime. Robert Taylor replaced Picault and Fede Redondo went in for Weigandt.

Coach Javier Mascherano, making his MLS debut, had said all the players would not be available for the game because the team didn’t arrive home from Kansas City until 4 a.m. Thursday and some players needed more rest between games.

Messi was not one of them. The Argentine captain, who turns 38 in June, looked fit on Wednesday and he hates to miss games. Messi went the full 90 minutes in Kansas City.

Joining Messi in the Starting XI against NYCFC: goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, right back Weigandt, center back Toto Aviles, center back Noah Allen, left back Alba, midfielder Benja Cremaschi, midfielder Sergio Busquets, midfielder David Ruiz, winger Picault, and Luis Suarez.

Five of the players on the bench are new to the team this season: goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo, center back Maxi Falcon, defender Gonzalo Lujan, midfielder Segovia, and winger Tadeo Allende, who scored two goals in the preseason.

Mascherano may have decided to go with players with MLS experience for the season opener.

Other subs included defender Ian Fray, midfielder Redondo, winger Taylor, and forward Leo Afonso.

Asked Friday morning before training if everyone was available for the game, Mascherano replied: “No, everyone is not available, but I’m not going to tell you whom [smiling]. I don’t want to give you any clues. But, the majority of them will be.

“We are recuperating, it hasn’t even been 48 hours since we played in Kansas. Everyone saw the conditions under which we played. That requires us to wait a little longer to see how the players they recover as this is an unprecedented situation for all of us.”

He added that they will line up “the best 11 for Saturday that we think can give 100 percent.”

The coaching staff also had to consider that the second and decisive leg of the Champions Cup against Sporting KC is Tuesday night at Chase Stadium.

“We know we have two very important games coming up,” Mascherano said. “One is the start of the season, at our home, with our fans. You always want to make a statement in your opening game to the fans and the rest of the league. And, obviously, we know the importance of the game Tuesday. That’s why we must evaluate everything and then decide the lineup.”

One key player who was back in the lineup was Alba, who missed the Sporting KC game while serving a rollover suspension for a red card he received against Mexican club Monterrey in the tournament last April. Alba also had been dealing with some discomfort from a minor injury he suffered during a preseason game in Peru, and said he still has some pain, but it would not impede his ability to play.

Co-captain Drake Callender, last year’s starting goalkeeper, was not on the game roster as he is not fully recovered from an adductor injury he suffered during U.S. national team camp in January. Yannick Bright (thigh laceration) and David Martinez (ankle) were also missing.